Navigating urban tensions and injustices in domestic heating transitions: a case study of coal phase-out in social housing

Abstract

Domestic heating transitions must balance environmental and social policy goals, which leads to conflicts between cost, pace, and cleanliness. It is a challenge for urban policies in Central European cities, where outdated social housing stock meets increasing people's aspirations on improving air quality and climate change mitigation goals. Utilizing insights from the case study of Warsaw, this research evaluates the patterns of domestic coal phase-out in social housing, combining in-depth analysis of unique heating transition data with official census records and qualitative analysis . The investigation uncovers reprivatization, revitalization, and rationalization as three avenues through which heating transitions may inadvertently contribute to gentrification and displacements. These findings underscore the dual role of heating transitions in social housing, acting as a mitigation strategy or a catalyst for socio-spatial segregation, reproducing the ideologies of the dominant urban policy paradigm.